Carlos Acosta’s Carmen (2024) performed by his company Acosta Danza at Richmond Theatre last night was spectacular. Such a sexy, high-energy, eclectic mix of ballet, flamenco and Cuban dance. The choreography is astoundingly athletic, with the entire ensemble scenes creating a vibrant spectacle and the costumes are excellent.
Personally, I feel he’s created a ballet for the masses with it’s wide appeal. It is highly entertaining and visually stunning and focuses on the momentum of the dance rather than on the emotional depth of the characters – and let’s face it, Carmen doesn’t feel like a woman with a lot of emotional depth – she’s much more about being alluring for the besotted men in her life, so to have it focus more on the entire story and the dance made it much more exciting.
The story of Carmen itself is of course a tragedy, but is she a tragic heroine? Here I think we get a more honest approach as to who she is; brave, sparky, full of self belief, overtly sexual, but ultimately only obsessed with capturing men as play things to be toyed with and then brutally discarded the minute someone more interesting appears. I loved the fast paced passion of the production as she whirlwinds through life, to her death.
Adria Diaz was Carmen last night and she was sensational – spirited and impulsive with impressively carefree dancing – you really can’t take your eyes off her. Her poor lover Don José (wonderfully played by Alexander Arias) doesn’t stand a chance when the impressive toreador Escamillo (played by Alejandro Silva) appears and off she dances, towards impending tragedy.
There was a wonderful blend of Bizet’s traditional music coupled with modern Cuban influences and the minimalist set worked extremely well in a smaller venue. There’s a giant glowing ring that dominates the stage and represents a bullring and very effective lighting which adds to the stunning, dramatic set.
Carlos Acosta is understandably proud of his original production of Carmen being extended into a full length ballet. It really worked as a whole evening, two act affair. The first act was only half an hour long, before a brief interval and the second act, set in a tavern with the superbly vigorous dancers all banging a rhythm on the tables and whooping was very strong and lively. The young company’s signature flair was clearly apparent as they confidently and gracefully inhabit the world on stage. In total it’s an hour and 35 minutes long.
This particular Carmen has the addition of a new character, the impressively tall horned figure of a Bull (Paul Brando) appears frequently inside the giant ring and later dances with Carmen – representing the hand of destiny. He positions him as a Master of Ceremonies across the whole narrative of the production. Often this is played by Carlos Acosta himself, which would be a fabulous addition.
To me, this Carmen has not only heart, but soul and will appeal to everyone. I think it’s going to be especially good for a younger audience who are looking for a hard hitting, highly sexual, brilliantly visual triumph.
